Device for teaching penmanship.



PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

R. W. MANUEL.

DEVICE FOR TEACHING PENMANSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24.1905.

%Z/ i/234 567X70 p J KWWXQJ WITNESSES:

A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH WILLIAM MANUEL, OF 'MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR TEACHING PENIVIANSHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed May 24, 1905. Serial No. 262,005.

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, RALPH WILLIAM MAN- UEL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin andState of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Device for TeachingPenmanship, of which the following is afull, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to devices for facilitating instruction inpenmanship and it consists, substantially, in the details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularlydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

One of the principal objects of the invention is to overcome certaindifficulties and objections attending the use of many other contrivanceshitherto devised for a similar purpose.

A further object is to provide a device of this kind which isexceedingly simple in its embodiment, inexpensive to manufacture,besides being thoroughly effective and reliable in use, and possessingthe capacity for long and repeated service.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantiallysuch as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of the device embodying myimprovements. Fig.

.2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modification, showing the backand front of the envelop made separately. Fig. 3 is an enlargedsectional view in detail of another embodiment to indicate more clearlythe means by which the stack or plurality of copy-slips are fastened inposition with reference to the base of the device, the slips for thisembodiment being attached only to the back of the envelop; and Fig. 4 isalso a sectional view in detail of a certain feature of theimprovements, the section being on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Before proceeding with a more detailed description it may be stated thatin the form of my improvements herein shown I employ an envelop ofspecial construction for containing the used and unused practice-sheetsto be employed by the pupil, combined with which are special means forattaching in the desired relation to the back of the envelop a pluralityof copy-slips having either written or printed thereon examples to befollowed by the pupil in any desired order when practicing the exercisesgiven to him or to her to perform. The back of the envelop is utilizedas a writing-base, upon which the practice-sheets are placed in carryingout or practicing the different exercises, and the organization of thecooperative elements of thedevice is such that as each line of apractice-sheet is filled out the sheet may be pushed forwardly totemporarily conceal such lines from view and to bring the nextsucceeding line adjacent to the lower edge of the copy-sheet beingfolthe purpose of review of the exercise or otherwise.

IVhile I have herein illustrated my improvements in a certain preferredembodiment, it will be understood, of course, that I am not limitedthereto in precise detail, since immaterial changes therein may beresorted to coming within the scope of my invention.

Reference being had to the drawings by the designating charactersthereon, 1 represents a suitable writing-base, which in the presentinstance preferably constitutes the back of an envelop 2, the front ofwhich is indicated at 3, having the side edges 4 thereof turned over thecorresponding edges of the said base or back and cemented or otherwisesecured thereto. This envelop may be formed entirely of a single pieceof material of the desired thickness and durability, as shown in Fig. 1,for instance, or the back 1 and the front 3 of the envelop may be madeseparately, in which case the lower end of the envelop will be closed byturning the lower edge of the front 3 over the corresponding edge of theback 1, as indicated at 5 in Fig. 2, for instance, the parts beingsecured by cement or otherwise, as in the case of the side edges of theenvelop shown in Fig. 1.

The envelop 2 is formed in each of its side edges, near the mouth oropen edge 6 thereof, with duplicate alined openings 7, extending throughboth thicknesses of the envelop, and through which are received the endsof a light cord 8, which has previously been inserted I throughcorrespondin openings 9, formed in envelop, as well as the turned-downside edges 4 of the front 3 thereof, as shown in Fig. '4, I may dispensewith the said turned-down edges 4 (see Fig. 3, for instance) and formthe openings 12 and 13 for the cord 14 through the edge portions 15 ofthe back 1 only of the envelop. I prefer, however, the constructionshown in Figs. 2 and 4, wherein the turned-down edges of the front 3 ofthe envelop are employed, as well as the alined openings 7, extendingthrough such edges and both the front and backof the envelop. In thisway greater strength of fastening for the copy-slips is derived, in thatthe turneddown edges 4 of the back of the envelop constitute reinforcesfor the structure, as well as a means by which the front of the envelopis secured to the back thereof. Y

A practice-sheet for the pupil is indicated at 16 in Fig. 2, the upperor forward edge 17 thereof being extended beyond the stack of copy-slipsl0, beneath which this portion of the practice-sheet has been placed forthe purpose of enabling the pupil to copy the ex ercise from that one ofthe copy-slips which may be uppermost of the stack. Each copyslip mayhave thereon a different example 11,

- small letters 19 on theother side.

i as will be understood, any one of which may be brought to view bysimply turning forwardly on the cords 8 all the copy-slips above or inadvance of the same. As each spaced line of the practice-sheet is filledout by the pupil the same is moved beneath the stack of copy-slips (thusto be concealed temporarily from view) to bring the next succeeding linein position to be filled out in like manner.

Preferably the turned-over side edges 4 of the front 3 of the envelopare provided with examples of penmanship in the way of the alphabet incapitals 18 on one side and in Along the lower edge of the back 1 of theenvelop other exercises may be placed, as indicated at 20 and 21, forinstance, it being apparent, however, that these laterally-describedexercises are not essential to my improvements.

The envelop is preferably provided interiorly with a sheet of cardboard22 or the like board, celluloid, or the likeand, as before stated, theouter surface of the back of the envelop constitutes a writing-base uponwhich the practice-sheets are placed in the manner already described.

The device is simple and inexpensive to Y manufacture, and whenever itis desired to substitute a new stack or set of copy-slips the same maybe readily eifected'by simply untying the cords 8, as'will beunderstood.

The open edge of the front 3 of the envelop is preferably formed with anotch 24 (as is common in many envelops) to facilitate the entrance ofthe fingers within the envelop either to place the sheets therein orto-remove the same therefrom, said notch being shown in dotted lines,Fig. 1, and in full lines, Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A device of the character described, comprising anenvelop, a writing-base having sets of alined openings therein at theside edges near adjacent corners thereof, a stack of copy-' slips havingopenings therethrough near the ends thereof, and fastening means forsaid slips inserted through the latter openings and through those ofeach set in the base, said base forming the back of the envelop.

2. A device of the character described, comprising an envelophaving aback constituting a writing-base for a practice-sheet and having theside edges of the front thereof turned over the corresponding edges ofsaid back and secured, the device being formed,

near adjacent corners thereof, with sets ofaliningopenings extendingthrough the three thicknesses of material thus provided, a stack ofcopy-slips having openings therethrough near the ends, and fasteningmeans for said slips extending through the latter openings and throughthose of each set of said alining openings.

3. A device of the character described, com-v prising an envelop havinga back constitutmg a writing-base for a practice-sheet and having theside edges of the front thereof turned over the corresponding edges ofsaid back and secured, the devicebeing formed, near adjacent cornersthereof, with sets of alining openings extending through the three Intestimony whereof I have signed my thicknesses of material thusprovided, a stack name to this specification in the presence of ofcopy-slips having openings threthrough two subscribing Witnesses.

near the ends, and fastening-cords for said RALPH WILLIAM MANUEL. slipsextending through the latter openings Witnesses: and through those ofeach set of said alining J. VAN VALKENBURG,

openings. 0. H. SMITH.

